Middle East Briefing with Amir Peretz

We were pleased to invite MK Amir Peretz to join us for breakfast and a timely conversation about the Middle East. Peretz discussed the peace process and Middle Eastern security, his leadership of the Labor party, the political reality on the ground in Israel, as well as a variety of other topics in current international affairs.

Amir Peretz was born in Morocco in 1952 and immigrated to Israel in 1956. He served in the IDF as a munitions officer in a paratroopers division, leaving with the rank of captain. Peretz ran for mayor of Sderot on behalf of the Labor Party in 1983, and at the age of 30 won his first election, serving for five years. In 1995 Peretz was chosen Chairman of the Histadrut Labor Federation and was voted in by a large majority once again three years later.

As a Member of Knesset since 1988, Peretz has served on the Foreign Affairs and Defense, Labor and Welfare, Constitution, Law and Justice, as well as the House Committees, the Committees on the Status of Women and Foreign Workers and the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee on Social Disparity. Peretz established the Am Ehad (“One Nation”) party in preparation for elections for the 15th Knesset in 1999. In 2004, Am Ehad was reunified with Labor, and in November 2005 Peretz was elected Chairman of the Labor Party. Peretz also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense from May 2006 until June 2007.

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Meet & Greet with Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV)

The Common Good hosted a breakfast discussion with seventh term Congresswoman Shelley Berkley of Nevada’s First Congressional District. The Congresswoman spoke passionately about hot button issues facing our country today. The discussion was preempted by Congresswoman Berkley who spoke eloquently about her life with a brief but important depiction of her childhood in a family whose financial woes forced them to move from her home in New York to her current home, and district, of Las Vegas.

Throughout the conversation the Congresswoman spoke about her hopes to make changes that will provide opportunities for future generations of Americans. She conveyed understanding that people are struggling today and stated “If our civilians aren’t feeling relief from Washington, we are not doing our job right, and that is my greatest concern.” The Congresswoman touched on the struggles of many different groups including the elderly, the unemployed, and war veterans. She also discussed the need for support programs that provide the support these people need.

Next the Congresswoman highlighted education as an important issue. She stated “as a nation, we need to be progressive. We must move ourselves forward. We can do this by focusing on education reform.” By making changes in education the Congresswoman feels that we are building a foundation for the future of our country. In the same manner the Congresswoman conveyed the importance of renewable energy not only for the environment but also to create foundations for new job markets. “The Hoover dam was built during the depression and now it generates power for millions. We need to invest in ourselves” specified the Congresswomen.

The discussion concluded with Congresswoman Berkley touching on her decision to leave her current position as a member of the House and run for a Senatorial position. She described a situation in which one of her colleagues rattled off incorrect facts on the House floor in regards to Planned Parenthood. When later questioned his office replied that the comments he made were not meant to be factual. This incident inspired the Congresswoman to do more. In her words “Something is going on here that is not savory. It is not democratic. It is not American.” To her these injustices have given her a goal. The Congresswoman mentioned that she is not confident that she will win the election but she is willing to try in hopes that she will have a chance to make the changes she finds necessary.

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Middle East Regional Security Issues with Dr. Landau

The Common Good hosted Dr. Emily Landau for a discussion about regional security issues in the Middle East. Dr. Landau focused on the global implications of nuclear developments in Iran. She lamented that current U.S. strategies do not reflect the urgency of the issue, potentially undermining negotiation efforts. “Iran must believe that if they don’t negotiate seriously, there will be consequences,” Dr. Landau emphasized. So long as the unequal negotiating situation persists, negotiations are merely a way for Iran to gain valuable time to push their program forward, not to reach a settlement.

Dr. Landau rejected Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denial of the nuclear program’s military ties, citing the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) actions to prevent public reports about the existence of a secret annex for political reasons, perhaps out of fear that such information might provoke Israel to take military action. Iran does not currently have the technology to enrich uranium to the level necessary to use it for civilian purposes, discrediting Iran’s claim that this is the objective of their nuclear program.

Tactics to prevent Iran from completing a nuclear bomb can only succeed by applying massive pressure on Iran. “That means sanctions and a credible threat of military force,” Dr. Landau said. “Saying that military action would be a disaster is undermining your own credibility,” and discounting military action as an option discourages Iran from taking negotiations seriously.

The fundamental solution proposed by Dr. Landau proposed is regime change, not just governmental change. The U.S. has a strong interest in providing more extensive support to protesters. “Those kinds of protests are the things that bring about regime change.” Although relations with Iran are complex, Dr. Landau emphasized her belief that through a combination of sanctions, support for protestors, and a credible threat of military action, the United States could reestablish viable grounds for negotiation with Iran.

Dr. Landau has published and lectured extensively on regional security in the Middle East, Israeli-Egyptian relations and the Iranian nuclear challenge. Her current research focuses on regional dynamics and processes in the Middle East and developments in arms control thinking on nuclear proliferation, including implications of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

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A Conversation With Ken Burns

The Common Good was honored to host an evening with Emmy and Grammy Award winner, Ken Burns. Ken discussed Vietnam, the Civil War, civil discourse as well as presenting a brief 13 minute clip, including past footage as well as a teaser of his upcoming film “Prohibition”. We were thrilled to host Ken, pay tribute to his work both past and present, and to celebrate what he has in store for us in the future.

Ken Burns has been making films for more than thirty years. Since the Academy Award-nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made. A December 2002 poll conducted by Real Screen Magazine listed The Civil War as second only to Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North as the “most influential documentary of all time,” and named Ken Burns and Robert Flaherty as the “most influential documentary makers” of all time.  Ken’s films have won twelve Emmy Awards and two Oscar nominations, and in September of 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, Ken was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Meet & Greet with Congressman Barney Frank

We were pleased to welcome Congressman Barney Frank for a brief discussion over coffee. Frank, who was Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee before Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 2008, spoke about implementation of the financial reform he helped shape and other topics. This event was hosted by Andy Sternlieb.

Barnett Frank is an American former politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee (2007–2011) and was a leading co-sponsor of the 2010 Dodd–Frank Act, a sweeping reform of the U.S. financial industry. In 1987, he publicly came out as gay, becoming the first member of Congress to do so voluntarily. In July 2012, he married his long-time partner, James Ready, becoming the first member of Congress to marry someone of the same sex while in office. Frank did not seek re-election in 2012, and retired from Congress at the end of his term in January 2013. (1)

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(1) Material from Wikipedia.

The Changing Face of the Middle East with Professor Uzi Rabi

The Common Good hosted a breakfast discussion with Professor Uzi Rabi from the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at the Tel Aviv University. This discussion touched on recent events in the Middle East including the renewal of the peace process and democracy in the Middle East.

Prof. Uzi Rabi is the Director of the Moshe Dayan Center and Chair of the Department of Middle Eastern and African History, Tel Aviv University’s internationally acclaimed think tank. His most recent publication is the volume International Intervention in Local Conflicts (I. B. Tauris, 2010).

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"Rock The Vote Downtown" At The Tribecca Film Festival

The Common Good was at the Tribeca Film Festival Family Festival registering voters. We helped kick off the festivities at our table through out the day between Jay and Greenwich Streets in Tribeca.

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Living for 32

The Common Good hosted documentary screening & discussion about the attack at Virginia Tech. This event was hosted by survivor Colin Goddard and producer Maria Cuomo Cole.

This movie looked into the attack and aftermath of the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech. What can we learn from this horrific event? Attendees were able to watch this powerful film and had the chance to meet the survivor who, despite the three bullets still lodged in his body, refuses to be a victim, and who, through this film, strives to save lives every day through the prevention of the escalating gun violence in America.

On a snowy, windy April day in Blacksburg, Virginia in 2007, young Americans pursued a college education and their teachers engaged in providing it to them. Some of those students were attending Introductory German, Intermediate French, Advanced Hydrology Engineering, and Solid Mechanics classes in a building called Norris Hall.

Thirty-two of them died, 17 more were wounded, and six more were injured jumping out of windows. Their lives had collided with that of a tortured loner, whom a judge had written was “fundamentally ill and in need of hospitalization, and presents an imminent danger to self or others as a result of mental illness,” or is so seriously mentally ill as to be substantially unable to care for self.

One of those wounded was a 21-year-old senior International Studies major from Richmond, Virginia, named Colin Goddard. Goddard played a unique role in the horrific drama that played out at Virginia Tech University on that blustery April day: he was the only person within the building to call the police. Urged by his French professor to dial 911 as the crackle of gunfire came closer to the door of their classroom, Goddard made the call. Shot for the first time, he passed the phone to a classmate who gave the police enough information to get them to the scene three minutes later. Police got into the building, which had been barricaded, six minutes after that. For all the terrible damage that the killer did, the toll of lost lives might have been much higher if it were not for the 911 call started by Colin Goddard and continued by Emily Haas.

By the end of the ordeal, the killer had fired at him at three separate moments during the eleven-minute assault. Goddard had been shot four times. He heard the rescue workers walking through his classroom, shouting ‚”red tag, black tag, black tag‚” a dire roster of the critical and the dead. He was later told he might not walk again but fought his way through arduous physical therapy. And he grew a fire in his heart to do something about keeping dangerous people from having easy access to deadly weapons. The killer had two semiautomatic handguns, dozens of 10- and 15-round magazines, and 400 rounds of hollow-point ammunition.

After recovering and finishing his degree, Colin Goddard decided he was going to volunteer for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the nation’s largest gun control organization. And he was going to convince them to sponsor him in wearing a hidden camera and going undercover into gun shows all across America, to prove how easy it is for anyone to buy a gun, with no identification, no Brady background check, and just a wad of cash.

Living for 32 is his story.

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The Wisconsin Worker's Revolt and the National Ramifications

The Common Good Hosted an open discussion with Congressman George Miller and Steven Malanga, of the Manhattan Institute, on the Wisconsin Worker’s Revolt and the national ramifications of the protests. The conversation was hosted by Charles Myers and Joseph Fichera.

Former Congressman George Miller served California’s 7th district for more than half of his life, championing liberal causes such as increased funding for public education, support for labor unions and environmental causes throughout his tenure.

A close friend of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Miller was appointed in 2003 co-chair of the House Steering and Policy Committee, which shapes and articulates Democrats’ policy proposals. He was chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee in the Democratic majority 111th Congress and has served as the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.

Steven Malanga is the George M. Yeager Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and City Journal’s senior editor. He writes about the intersection of urban economies, business communities, and public policy. Malanga is the author of The New New Left: How American Politics Works Today (2005); The Immigration Solution: A Better Plan than Today’s (2007), coauthored with Heather Mac Donald and Victor Davis Hanson; and Shakedown: The Continuing Conspiracy Against the American Taxpayer (2010). In 2013, former Florida governor Jeb Bush called Malanga “the best thinker on state and local fiscal matters” in a tweet; in a 2014 Manhattan Institute speech, he said that Malanga’s warnings on states’ coming debt and pension crises had influenced fiscal reforms undertaken in Florida.

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Desert Flower

The Common Good hosted a film screening and discussion about the film Desert Flower. Joined by the star of the film, Liya Kebede, Acclaimed Producer and Author, Susan Fales-Hill and Former First Lady of New York, Michelle Paige Paterson, in partnership with InStyle Magazine and National Geographic Entertainment

Desert Flower was adapted from the international bestseller of the same name which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. It traces the improbable journey of a young Somali woman who treks across the African Desert to find fame and fortune in the west, and in doing so, discovers the strength and voice to bring attention to the dismaying practice of female genital mutilation and it’s assault on a woman’s freedom and dignity.

Waris Diris lives a double life - by day she is a famous model and UN spokeswoman on women’s rights in Africa, one night she dreams of her native Somalia. Waris, one of 12 children, was born into a traditional family of desert nomads in East Africa. She remembers her early childhood as carefree -racing camels and moving on with her family to the next grazing spot - until it came her turn to meet the old woman who administered an ancient custom imposed on most Somalian girls: circumcision. Waris suffered this torture when she was just five years old. Then, age 12, when her father attempted to arrange a marriage with a 60 year old stranger in exchange for five camels - she took flight. After an extraordinary escape through the dangerous desert she made her way to London and worked as a maid for the Somalian ambassador until that family returned home. Penniless and speaking little English, she became a janitor in McDonalds where she was famously discovered by a fashion photographer. Her story is a truly inspirational and an extraordinary self-portrait of a remarkable woman whose spirt is as breathtaking as her beauty.

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The American Spirit Awards 2011

The Common Good honored Ruth Gruber with the American Spirit Award. Catherine Crier served as the evening's emcee and Ann Curry presented the award. The event was hosted by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Catherine Keener, Kelly Klein, Barbara Kopple, Former First Lady of New York Michelle Paige Paterson, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Bob Richman, Rachel Roy, and Naomi Wolf. Other VIP guests included: Lola Astanova, Debbie Bancroft, Kathleen Chalfant, Henry Chalfant, Rita Cosby, Dr. Lewis M. Feder, Rachel Lee Hovnanian, Ara Hovnanian and Lynne White.

There was also a special screening of “Ahead of Time”. Born in Brooklyn in 1911, Ruth Gruber became the youngest PhD in the world before going on to become an international foreign correspondent and photojournalist at age 24. She emerged as the eyes and conscience of the world. With her love of adventure, fearlessness and powerful intellect, Ruth defied tradition in an extraordinary career that has spanned more than seven decades.

Ruth was an inspiration not only for her ground-breaking career, but for her vitality and humor at 98 years old. The film interweaves verite scenes with never-seen-before archival footage.

Ruth Gruber was distinguished for many of her achievements, but especially for her efforts as a humanitarian and trailblazer for women. Ruth Gruber became the youngest PhD in the world before going on to become an international foreign correspondent and photojournalist at age 24; she emerged as the eyes and conscience of the world.

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Meet & Greet: Jenny McCarthy

The Common Good was honored to have hosted Jenny McCarthy for a breakfast discussion for a meet and greet. She spoke about how raising her son who is autistic and her new books.

Much more than just a pretty face, the quick-witted and often outrageous Jenny McCarthy takes the belief that anyone can be famous to a whole new level. The former Catholic schoolgirl from Chicago simultaneously exploited and spoofed her good looks to launch a diverse career as a model, TV host, actress, screenwriter, and author. When her son Evan was diagnosed with autism, Jenny took on another role again, as an advocate in the fight against autism. Determined to help him and other families living with autism, Jenny’s dynamic life has taken on new meaning.

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Special Screening of 'Budrus'

The Common Good hosted a special screening and discussion of the documentary ‘Budrus’ with director Julia Bacha and producer Ronit Avni, which showed the nonviolent Palestinian movement to save the village of Budrus from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. 

This documentary by Julia Bacha that examines one West Bank town’s reaction to Israel’s construction of the security barrier. The town, with a population of 1,500, was set to be divided and encircled by the barrier, losing 300 acres of land and 3,000 olive trees. These trees were not only critical for economic survival but also sacred to the town’s intergenerational history. The film tells the story of Ayed Morrar, a Palestinian whose work for Fatah had led to five detentions in Israeli jails, but whose momentous strategic decision that the barrier would be best opposed by nonviolent resistance had far-reaching ramifications.

Julia Bacha is a media strategist and award-winning filmmaker whose work has been exhibited at Sundance, Tribeca, Berlin, Jerusalem, and Dubai International Film Festivals, and broadcasted on the BBC, HBO, Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya television channels. Julia started her filmmaking career in Cairo, where she co-wrote and edited Jehane Noujaim’s critically acclaimed documentary, Control Room (2004), for which she was nominated to the Writer’s Guild of America Award. Control Room marked the first time most Americans were exposed to an inside view of Al Jazeera and generated wide public debate about US media coverage during the war in Iraq.

Ronit Avni is an award-winning filmmaker and human rights advocate. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Just Vision, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing media coverage and support for Palestinian and Israeli efforts to end the conflict without arms. Her work has been featured in major news outlets, including Newsweek, The Washington Post, The BBC, NPR, and The Economist. Avni produced the documentary film, Budrus, which was hailed in The New York Times as “this year’s must-see documentary” and has won twelve international awards. Avni directed and produced the documentary film, Encounter Point, which received several awards including the San Francisco International Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary. Encounter Point has screened in more than 200 cities worldwide and continues to be widely used in classrooms and community centers in America and the Middle East.

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Leadership Series: David Paterson on New York Past and Present

·         We enjoyed candid discussions from elected officials in our “Leadership Series.”New York Governor, Honorable David Paterson on his tenure as Governor and what lies ahead for New York with moderator David Pollak.

David Paterson served as New York’s 55th Governor from 2008 to 2010 following the resignation of former Governor Eliot Spitzer. During his tenure as Governor, Paterson is credited for drawing attention to New York’s fiscal woes, stretching the budget-drafting powers of his office, and enacting sweeping reforms on a wide range of issues facing New Yorkers. 

The former Governor led the movement to create permanent reforms to health care in New York State, successfully negotiated an MTA bailout plan, and introduced landmark legislation to end legal discrimination against same-sex couples in New York.

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Screening of Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer

The Common Good held a special screening of the documentary Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer followed by a Q&A forum with director Alex Gibney.

This documentary feature takes an in-depth look at the rapid rise and dramatic fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. Nicknamed "The Sheriff of Wall Street," when he was NY's Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer prosecuted crimes by America’s largest financial institutions and some of the most powerful executives in the country. After his election as Governor, with the largest margin in the state's history, many believed Spitzer was on his way to becoming the nation's first Jewish President. Then, shockingly, Spitzer’s meteoric rise turned into a precipitous fall when the New York Times revealed that Spitzer--the paragon of rectitude--had been caught seeing prostitutes. As his powerful enemies gloated, his supporters questioned the timing of it all: as the Sheriff fell, so did the financial markets, in a cataclysm that threatened to unravel the global economy. With unique access to the escort world as well as friends, colleagues and enemies of the ex-Governor (many of whom have come forward for the first time) the film explores the hidden contours of this tale of hubris, sex, and power.

An Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and director, Alex Gibney recently produced Lighting in a Bottle a film directed by Antoine Fuqua, which premiered in 2004 at the Berlin Film Festival and which was released by Sony Classics last October. Gibney is executive producing “Exiles on Main Street,” a series of short films directed by Wayne Wang, Mira Nair, Sherman Alexie, among others.

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Special Screening of Restrepo

The Common Good presented an exclusive screening of the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury award-winning documentary, Restrepo. This powerful documentary chronicles the one-year deployment of a platoon of American soldiers at one of the most dangerous outposts in Afghanistan. Featuring a Q&A session with directors, Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, and moderated by ABC news host, Cynthia McFadden, the evening was a rousing success.

From June 2007 to July 2008, Hetherington and Junger followed the soldiers of Second Platoon, Battle Company in the remote Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan, as they fought to build and maintain a remote 15-man outpost named “Restrepo,” after a platoon medic who was killed in action. The filmmakers avoid all outside commentary and political context in order to present us with war as it is actually lived by soldiers, through their own eyes and in their own words—the backbreaking labor, the deadly firefights, the boredom, and the camaraderie.

Sebastian Junger is an Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated director, war journalist and best-selling author. He has written The Perfect Storm, A Death in Belmont, and Fire. Junger is acclaimed for his coverage of major international news stories across the world, including in Sierra Leone and Liberia. He has contributed as an editor to Vanity Fair and ABC News with his captivating reporting, and has received many awards for his endeavors, including the National Magazine Award and the SAIS Novartis Prize for Journalism. His debut as an author proved to be successful—The Perfect Storm remained on The New York Times best-seller list for more than three years, set sales records, and was picked up by Warner Bros. for a major motion picture.

Tim Hetherington, a photographer and filmmaker, spoke to the Common Good in 2010. Sadly, he was killed while covering the escalating violence in Misrata, Libya at age 40 on April 20th, 2011. At the time of his death, he was working along side three other photographers on the city’s front lines when they came under fire.

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Meet & Greet: William Bradley

The Common Good hosted Senator William Bradley with a lunch and discussion where he talked about America’s higher education crisis.

Senator Bill Bradley served in the U.S. Senate from 1979 to 1997 representing the state of New Jersey. In 2000, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. He has authored seven books on American politics, culture and economy. Prior to serving in the Senate, Senator Bradley was an Olympic gold medalist in 1964 and a professional basketball player with the New York Knicks from 1967 to 1977 during which time they won 2 NBA championships. In 1982 he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. (1)

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(1) Material from Bill Bradley’s website.

Election Insurrection: The Mid-Term Elections 2010

The Common Good and the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College joined forces to present “Election Insurrection: The Mid-Term Elections 2010.” This timely forum brought together America’s top political journalists with a range of strategists from across the political spectrum to discuss the importance—and likely impact—of the November Congressional and gubernatorial elections. Through civil dialog and civic initiatives, The Common Good seeks to inspire broader participation in our democracy and bridge the growing divisions that threaten our nation. Our members joined us for this vital and enlightening evening of discussion and debate.

MODERATOR

• Dan Abrams, NBC Legal Correspondent 

PANELISTS: 

• Carl Bernstein, Pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter

• Jonathan Capehart, editorial writer for the Washington Post

• Matthew Dowd, former strategist for President George W. Bush

• Jane Hamsher, founder of one of the leading political blogs, Firedoglake

• Steve Hildebrand, former campaign advisor for President Obama

• Ed Rollins, former lead campaign advisor for Ronald Reagan and Ross Perot

• Doug Schoen, former strategist for Clinton-Gore and Michael Bloomberg

• Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation

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Ed Koch on the Reform of New York's Government

The Common Good held a conversation with Former Mayor of New York City, Honorable Ed Koch on reform of New York’s state government in Albany.

Mayor Ed Koch saved the City of New York from bankruptcy and in doing so restored the pride of New Yorkers. During his three terms as Mayor from 1978-1989, he restored fiscal stability to the City of New York, and he was responsible for placing the City on a GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices) balanced budget basis. He created a housing program which, over a ten-year period, provided more than 150,000 units of affordable housing financed by City funds in the amount of $5.1 billion. He created for the first time in New York City a merit judicial selection system and selected some of the most outstanding public servants to serve in his administration.

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Googled

The Common Good was proud to host Ken Auletta, author of Googled. He is known for his thorough research and fascinating profiles of leading figures and companies. These efforts have earned him five national bestsellers on subjects including Bill Gates, The New York Times, and now the multinational computing and internet search corporation, Google. In this latest best-seller, Auletta delves into the company and its success, and unmasks how the digital revolution may disrupt the world.

In his book, Googled, Auletta takes readers inside Google’s closed-door meetings and discusses Google’s notoriously private founders, Larry Page and Sergei Brin. In his narrative, Auletta provides the fullest account to date of Google’s meteoric rise.

Ken Auletta is an American journalist and media critic at The New Yorker. He has worked in government and on several political campaigns along with having taught and trained Peace Corps volunteers. In 1974, Auletta became the chief political correspondent for the New York Post. Following that, he was a staff writer and weekly columnist for The Village Voice, and then a contributing editor at New York Magazine. He started contributing to The New Yorker in 1977. Between 1977 and 1993, he wrote a weekly political column for the New York Daily News.

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